System for sprinkling lawns, gardens, greenhouses, parks, &amp;c.



No. 810,972. I PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906. F. H. PARADIGE.

SYSTEM FORSPRINKLING LAWNS, GARDENS, GREENHOUSBS, PARKS, SLO- APPLICATION FILED 920.14. 1904.

2 SHBETS-SHEBT lv WITNESSES: JNVENTOR.

No. 810,972. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

F. H. PARADIGE. SYSTEM FOR SPRINKLING LAWNS, GARDENS, GRBENHOUSES, PARKS, &c.

2 RPPLIOATION FILED DEG.14, 1904.

e 2 SHEETS SKEI-IT 2.

[5. I WITNESSES; a fiuM/X%M Mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. PARADICE, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

SYSTEM FOR SPRINKLING LAWNS, GARDENS, GREENHOUSES, PARKS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

T at whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. PARADICE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful System for sprinkling Lawns, Gardens, Greenhouses, Parks, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide simple, durable, and eifective means for automatically sprinkling lawns, gardens, &c. I attain these objects by the use of the valves, sprinklers, pipe, and cable shown on the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram of grounds. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of crank, drum, and ratchet with weight attached to the actuating-cable. Fig. 3 is a. sectional front elevation of the above. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of a sprinkler-valve with actuating-cable. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation of the valve-operating de vice, being chiefly a cylindrical vessel containing cylindrical weights attached to cable which runs over a pulley into end of supplypipe. Fig. 6 is a duplicate of above for operating the other end of the actuating-cable. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a modified form of valve with actuating-cable. Fig. 8 is a sectional plan of three valves joined together by their pipes, showing the actuating-cable with its operating devices, intended only to show the relative position of the valves and their operating devices. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of a pipe-elbow. Fig. 10 1s a cross-section of pipe-elbow Fig. 9 at 19. Fig. 11 is a sectional plan of the lower part of a modified form of sprinkler-valve and also showing the valve-seat at a higher point with its actuating-cable. Fig. 12 is a vertical section of Fig. 11 at 24 24. Fig. 13 is a vertical section of part of Fig. 11 at 25 25.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a diagram of grounds, in which is the plan of the house and the sidewalks, showing a line of pipe running from operatingpoint 1 within the house and leading outside of house and around the lawn, following the sidewalk and leading to other parts of the grounds to points most suitable to accomplish the purpose of sprinkling the whole grounds. The pipe continues on back to the point 1, where it started from, thus making a circuit of the whole premises. At the points are in operation.

the edge of walk or other placewhere it is de- 3 3 3, &c. the sprinkler-valves are located. These may operate one or-more sprinklers, as required. Where the sidewalkis, if the lawn is at both sides of the walk, the sprinklers are best located at each side, so that walk or pedestrians need not be wetted while sprinklers The sprinklers to be used at sirable to have the water to spray in a certain direction are to be of such construction that they will only sprinkle the ground to be wetted, while the sprinklers for the large spaces are to be of the revolving kind to sprinkle large areas, as at A A A.

Figs. 2 and 3 are views of the crank, drum, and ratchet and weight by which the wire or cable which opens the sprinkler-valves is moved.

Briefly stated, my invention is a system of water-piping in which are fixed sprinklervalves. These control sprinklers. The sprinkler-valves are operated by a cable running inside of the water-pipe, and the cable is actuated by weight or cranks at the ends, all arranged so that the sprinkler-valves operate alternately.

Having reference to accompanying drawings, Figs. 5 and 6 show another way of operating the wire, this being accomplished by changing weight 9 from 5 to 6, and vice versa.

Fig. 4 is the sprinkler-valve, showing the cable with ball attached, which lifts the lever 17 when the cable is moved.

Fi 7 is another form of sprinkler-valve, which is operated by the movement of cable 7, but requires only a small ball or cylindricalshaped device to operate it.

Fig. 8 indicates three valves 14, with cable 7, pipe 2, and cylindrical-shaped attachments 15 Fig.9 shows bent pipe 2 with ofisets at the ends 18 18. These bends may be substituted for the pulleys 8 8, having the stufiingboxes, Fig. 5, on the end of bend looking downward.

There are several ways of operating the system; but I will confine myself to an explanation of the two that are shown on the accompanying drawings.

Water may be turned on at 5 in Fig. 1. Then weight'9 in Fig. 3 is raised by winding up drum or pulley 19, which causes drum or. pulley to move cable 7, this cable, being passed around drum or pulley 20, andxthe part on the drum being endless will move in either direction. Drum 20 is within a water- IIO tight case, the stuffing-box 21 shown making the shaft to winding-crank water-tight. As the balls or cylindrical-shaped devices 15 15 are fastened to the cable 7 approximately as to position as shown at Fig.8, they are moved one after the other past all the valves in the system, as shown at Figs. 4, 7, 8, and 11, the ball raising the lever 17 in Fig. 4, the same falling by gravity as soon as ball 15 has passed. Again referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the first device 15 on the left-hand side of drawing is close to valve 14, (which represents Fig. 4.) The second device 15 is a certain distance away from valve, and the third one is just twice the distance of the second one. three times the distance of the second one, &c., so, as is said before, the moving cable, with devices 15 attached, would open the valves 14 one after the other, so that the sprinkling may be done thoroughly with a moderate supply of water. When drum 19 has been wound up until the device 15 has assed the last valve, then the Weight is alowed to operate or pull the cable 7 at the desired speed, the weight being adjusted to properly accomplish this, the winding up of the apparatus being all the attention the system requires, as when the weight runs down to floor of cellar or other resting-place the valves would be all shut off, as the device 15 would be placed so that all of them would be clear of valves at that time. An extra device 15 and valve would be so placed that by drop ing or winding of weight beyond its usual stopping-place the extra valve would be opened for draining the pipe to avoid freezing at seasons of the year when this would be necessary, the stop and waste cock 5 in Fig. 1 supplying the vent when it is shut. The valve Fig. 7 with apparatus shown at Figs. 5 and 6 operate substantially the same, the difference being that cylindrical-shaped device 15 is smaller, as it engages the lever of valve Fig. 7 by coming directly against the lever 22, the wire passing through a slot too small to allow 15 to pass until 15 reaches point 23 in valve Fig. 7 when lever 22 raises up and allows 15 to become disengaged, then falls back ready to receive 15 on its return trip, whereas ball 15 engages and operates valvelever 17 in valveFig. 4 by pushing up lever 17. The arrangement in valve Fig. 7 and Fig. 11 allows a smaller device 15, so that a ipe of smaller diameter may be used, as the arger ball 15 occupies a large area of the mside bore of the pipe. Also with Figs. 5 and 6 and either 4, 7, or 11 no winding up is required. All that is necessary to do is to remove from the weight 9 that has run down sufiicient weight-pieces and place them on the other weight 9, overbalancing it, and thus start the sprinkling system. This may be accomplished without the cgglinders containing water 10 10, which are s own; but if it is The fourth one, if shown, would be desired that the sprinkling be for a specified time then by filling cylinder 10 with water and putting the proper amount of weight and setting the faucet 11 to waste at a predetermined rate the time to a minute can be fixed for the sprinkling operation. The water running from 10 in Fig. 6 through 11 may be received in a bucket and then emptied into 13 of Fig. 5, and vice versa, 12 being opened when filling and closed when the apparatus is running.

Fig. 9 is the pipe as bent to turn a corner easy in preference to using elbows. The offset 18 is so formed tocause cable 7 to be in the center of the straight pipe in order to reduce friction, the offset 18 keeping cable 7 away from the sides of straight pipe, and the curve in the bent pipe, as indicated at Fig. 10, having a tendency to keep cable away from bottom of pipe, which is assisted by the rise in bottom part of valves Fig. 4 and Fig. 7, so that as the cable is required to run very slowly the friction is comparatively slight, and consequently the apparatus is not liable to wear out soon.

By the use of this system there will be a great saving of time, as a few moments will start the sprinkling at one sprinkler-valve and alternately sprinkle the whole garden without further attention, also saving the expense of hose and permitting the use of lawn at seasonable hours, as the sprinkling with this system may be done at an early hour without any inconvenience to the person sprinkling.

The system may be arranged to water the grounds uniformly as to the amount of water on all parts of the garden or lawn and not, as is usual, with the use of hose, which generally results in the water being distributed unequally. The system thus saves water and sprinkles thoroughly.

Fig. 11 illustrates the valve I prefer for this system, because this operates with the least amount of power and without any l1ammering when operated under heavy waterpressure. Fig. 11 is a sectional plan of a sprinkler-valve. Fig. 12 is a vertical section at 25 25, drawn to show lever 17. 15 onwire 7 engages with lever 17 and swings it from point 23 to its location in drawing, turning valve-face 27 from closed to full open and then closed again, the valveface 27 having openings, as shown, and the face of 26 having similar openings, said openings in 27 being opposite openings in 26 when lever 17 is in center of (i. e., at 28) valve Fig. 11 and when at either end of valve then the openings in 27 are opposite the solid part of the face of 26, closing the valve. Lever 17 is immovably fixed to pin 29, and pin 30 is set in pin 29 in a s uare hole, vertically movable to permit the va ve-face 27 to be pressed against the face of 26 by the spring 31, which, with the water-pressure, causes the valve to close right. Increase of water-pressure will not cause the valve to open.

I-Iaving described myinvention and its use, what I claim to be new, and for which I desire Letters Patent, is

1. In a lawn and garden sprinkling apparatus, the combination of a supply-pipe With actuating-cable, and sprinkler valves said actuating-cable being Within the supply-pipe and sprinkler-valves; a cable-operating device, and sprinklers, substantially as set forth.

2. In a lawn and garden sprinkling apparatus, the combination of a supply-pipe with actuatingcable having attached thereto valve-lever-engaging projections; and sprinkler-valves with actuating-cable-engaging levers; said actuating-cable being within, and when in operation, moving through said supply-pipe and sprinkler-valves; a cable-operating device, and sprinklers, substantially as set forth.

FRANK H. PARADICE.

Witnesses:

L. F. McLAGAN, M. A. DALTON. 

